Hariri tribunal: No immediate trials in absentia

LEIDSCHENDAM, Netherlands 
Judges at a U.N.-backed tribunal set up to prosecute the assassins of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri say they will not immediately begin trial in absentia proceedings against four Hezbollah members charged in the 2005 slaying.

The Special Tribunal for Lebanon announced Wednesday it will wait for Lebanese authorities to inform the court about efforts to arrest the suspects before making a decision on a trial in their absence.

At a Nov. 11 hearing, prosecutors urged judges to give Lebanon more time to track down and arrest the men.

Hezbollah denies involvement in the truck bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others, including the suicide bomber. The Shiite militia's leader has vowed he will never let a Hezbollah member be arrested for the killings.